CES 2014: Intel Abandons Smartphones, Focuses On Wearable Computing And Tablets

As reported by Extreme Tech: Intel has delivered its keynote at CES 2014, and rather refreshingly the presentation focused almost entirely on wearable and perceptual computing. 

After years of struggling with the ultrabook moniker and trying to squeeze its way into the smartphone market, it seems Intel is finally ready to lead from the front and create new markets, rather than milk existing markets dry. It’s far from confirmed, but we would not be surprised if this was the end of Intel’s smartphone aspirations. With Intel’s launch of Dual OS devices that run Android and Windows on the same chip, it hasn’t given up on mobile entirely — but there’s still a very long road ahead of Intel if it wants to break into the tablet market in a significant way.

Wearables, wearables, wearables

Back in September 2013, Intel surprised us by showing off Quark — a small, low-power core that’s designed to be produced cheaply at foundries like TSMC, much like an ARM core. At CES 2014, Intel is now showing off a range of gadgets and wearable devices — reference designs, not final products — that appear to be powered by the same Quark processor.

The first device was an earpiece called Jarvis (pictured right), which is worn on the ear like a Bluetooth headset. The idea is that Jarvis is always-listening, allowing you to issue Siri-like commands at any time — save an appointment in your calendar, phone a friend, etc. 

Like other wearable computers, Jarvis itself is fairly dumb; for most of its capabilities, it bonds with an Android smartphone via Bluetooth. Sadly, we’re not yet at the point where headsets — a class of devices that includes Google Glass — have the battery power to perform complex calculations and remain permanently connected via Wi-Fi or GSM/LTE.

Next up was a smartwatch prototype, which apparently doesn't need to be tethered to a smartphone, and has built-in GPS, so that it can be used for geofencing (good for keeping track of your wandering schoolkids and spouse). If this has built-in cellular connectivity (which is implied by the lack of tethering), this could be a very exciting device indeed. 

Intel also demonstrated some smart earbuds that monitor your heart-rate, while being powered via your device’s headphone jack. For charging Jarvis (and perhaps the smartwatch too), Intel showed off a smart charging bowl — which presumably uses wireless inductive charging to conveniently recharge your devices at the end of the day. All of these devices are reference designs/prototypes, but CEO Brian Krzanich made it sound like Intel has some partners that will bring these devices to market.

Making everything smartMuch more interesting than vaguely useful wearables, though, Intel’s Krzanich also unveiled Edison — an SD card form factor computer. ”It’s a full Pentium-class PC in the form factor of an SD card,” Krzanich said. Inside the SD card is a dual-core 22nm Quark processor, RAM, flash storage, WiFi and Bluetooth radios, and a microcontroller for real-time I/O with external devices. Edison currently runs Linux, but Intel didn't give any further guidance on OS support.

The idea behind Edison is to make everything smart. As long as a device has an SD card slot and some kind of power source, you could theoretically use Edison to turn it into a smart device. On stage at CES 2014, Intel showed off the “smart turtle” baby monitoring system — a monitor, powered by Edison, that clips to a baby’s clothing and keeps track of its heart rate, breathing, and movements. Edison then transmits these details to a smart mug, which gives the parent/babysitter constant status updates.

Intel’s “smart turtle” Nursery 2.0 baby monitor and smart mug, powered by Edison

Edison is clearly a good choice for rapid prototyping and fun DIY projects, but Intel is probably hoping that Edison becomes the platform of choice for a whole host of commercialized smart devices.

Intel also discussed perceptual computing at its CES 2014 keynote, including the RealSense dual-camera depth and gesture sensor, but it was mostly a repeat of what had already been covered at IDF 2013.

Intel’s first-gen Medfield smartphone. We hardly knew ye!

RIP Intel smartphones
To be honest, after being so horrendously late to the party, Intel’s success in the smartphone market was always an outside bet. While Intel’s upcoming Merrifield platform will finally feature a CPU (dual-core Silvermont), GPU (PowerVR 6), and modem (LTE) that can compete with Qualcomm, it’s probably a case of too little too late. Qualcomm, ever since it released the first SoC with integrated multimode LTE modem at the start of 2012, has had the smartphone market all stitched up.

Intel's CEO Brian Krzanich with a Dual OS laptop.

There is still some hope for Intel and other modem-latecomers (such as Nvidia) in the tablet market, though. 

The Android tablet market, for example, is set to grow a lot in 2014, and Intel’s Bay Trail is well placed to pick up a number of significant design wins. Intel also unveiled Dual OS at CES 2014, a technology that allows Intel-powered computers (laptops and tablets) to switch between Android and Windows. 

This is slightly more graceful than existing dual-OS hybrids, such as the dual-CPU Transformer Book Trio. Don’t expect Dual OS to be Intel’s next ultrabook-like marketing drive, though — Intel hasn't yet said whether Microsoft is on-board with the idea, and, rather ominously for CES, it didn't wheel a dozen Dual OS design wins onto the stage.

All in all, Intel’s CES 2014 presentation was very strong, and it makes me feel fairly optimistic for the future. After a couple of years of ultrabooks and smartphones, it’s refreshing to see Intel focusing on new and developing markets, rather than trying to milk every last penny out of inveterate (server, laptop) and quickly maturing (smartphone) markets.

Operator Safety in Utility Fleets

Driver safety is a concern among utility business owners and fleet managers. Often, the most dangerous part of the day for a worker in the utility industry is the time spent behind the wheel of the vehicle. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of fatalities in the workplace-more than fires, explosions, falls, trips and equipment incidents combined. In addition, vehicle crashes occur every 5 seconds in the United States, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

Vehicle crashes not only endanger the lives of your employees and others on the road, but they can also cause considerable financial strain on your company. Many of these incidents occur during the workday, during the commute to and from job sites-and employers bear the cost of these injuries that occur both on and off the job. The average cost of a crash costs an employer $16,500 and crashes involving injuries cost $74,000. If a fatality is involved, the cost increases to over $500,000, according to OSHA.

As a whole, motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually in medical care, legal expenses, property damages and lost productivity. In addition, they drive up the cost of benefits such as workers' compensation, Social Security, and private health and disability insurance.

Many utility companies may use or consider using a global positioning system (GPS) fleet management solution for tracking and routing vehicles, but you may not realize fleet management solutions can also be used to monitor driver behavior and increase driver safety in many ways.

Educate Your Drivers
Many of the commercial vehicle crashes that occur throughout the year are preventable if your company implements a driver safety policy and gives your employees the tools to do their job safely, without negatively affecting productivity.

The first step to ensure your drivers practice appropriate driving behaviors and are safe on the road is to create safe driver policies and stick to policy enforcement. This should also be done in coordination with some type of driver behavior program. When considering a GPS fleet management solution for your company, you should find one that supports your business' strategy to address driver education and driver safety issues.

This can be accomplished with driver education courses that support your comprehensive strategy to promote safe driving habits. Online education courses provide safety managers and business owners a way to constructively engage and coach drivers to be safe behind the wheel. Courses may be offered from the GPS fleet management solution and can offer insight into aggressive, distracted, fuel-efficient or proactive defensive driving.

By addressing these behaviors proactively, fleet owners and safety managers can reduce driving incidents while also demonstrating the value of driver and fleet safety to employees, both experienced and novice. Promoting responsible driving habits from the start allows businesses to reduce insurance costs, cut down on potential collisions and decrease legal expenses. With the high number of driving incidents occurring each year, utility companies need to take a preventative approach to driver safety. Find a fleet management solution that gives you an outlet for your business to encourage responsible driving and ensure your fleet is operating at the safest level possible. When it comes to driver safety, prevention is the best policy.

Reduce Distracted Driving Opportunities
Distracted driving incidents are increasingly in the news, and for good reason. Distracted driving is a factor in 25 to 30 percent of all traffic crashes, according to OSHA. Drivers in the utility industry are often driving to and from sites, spending a great deal of time operating a vehicle. With busy schedules, road construction and other delays that occur, many employees feel pressured to multi-task to keep up with work-related responsibilities if they're driving. Drivers make more than 200 decisions during every mile traveled, increasing the chance that if your employee is distracted during his or her route, an incident may occur.

Currently, 41 states ban text messaging while driving. In addition, 11 states also prohibit hand-held cell-phone use while driving, which includes talking on the phone. In 2011, commercial truck and bus operators were also banned from all hand-held cell-phone use, except for emergency purposes. Since it is now illegal in most cases for your employee to use his or her phone while driving, the basic features of your GPS fleet management solution-tracking, routing, dispatching-are essential for any business.

Internal policies regarding use of private communication devices as well as fleet management systems can also provide additional distracted driving support, helping companies eliminate the need to communicate through a hand-held device. Make sure your GPS management solution provides an option for your company to discourage distracted driving by blocking or restricting calls, texts, emails, web browsing and more while the vehicle is being operated. Twenty-eight percent of all accidents are caused by mobile devices, increasing the importance to eliminate the risk of hand-held devices present.

Some of these distracted driving solutions allow your company to maintain your policies concerning mobile device use in vehicles, ensuring driver safety and protecting your company reputation. Some solutions also provide the option to set up an automatic Short Message Service (SMS) response to anyone who attempts to contact the driver on their cell-phone while he or she is driving, informing them the employee is driving and will contact them shortly. This eliminates the urge to multi-task because your employee knows the person attempting to reach them is aware they are unavailable while driving.

Cell phone use by drivers creates a serious threat for your company. According to the Network for Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), more than 90 percent of all motor vehicle crashes are caused by human error and neglect. The risk of being the target of a lawsuit greatly increases when an on-the-job employee causes the vehicle crash.

By implementing a system that disables distracted driving, a utility company decreases communications to the basic, necessary interactions and greatly decreases the risk of an accident occurring.

Identifying Dangerous Driving
Despite designing company policies and creating a culture of safety, chances are there will still be an occurrence of distracted or aggressive driving in your company's fleet. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as occurring when "an individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property," and includes but not limited to tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, speeding, running stop signs or red lights and preventing other from passing. Aggressive driving actions were reported in 56 percent of fatal crashes from 2003 to 2007, with excessive speeding being the number one factor.

GPS fleet management solutions can monitor, measure and identify dangerous actions such as hard braking, quick acceleration, sharp turning and excessive speeding. This information is not used to scold employees, but to help drivers realize and identify any dangerous habits. Business fleet managers are supplied with concrete metrics to help identify risky drivers and work with their employees to take proactive actions against vehicle crashes.

Driver behavior information also helps in cutting down on excessive fuel costs, vehicle wear and tear, and additional expenses from insurance or potential collisions.

Importance of Driver Safety
Companies spend money on creating logos and company information to transform vehicles into moving billboards. Inappropriate or dangerous driving on the road in your fleets can turn that investment into a poor company image. Safety and compliance are major concerns for fleet managers, so it is important to have driver safety education and monitoring options in your overall fleet management solution.

Ultimately, it is your company's responsibility to protect your employees and company's image against the dangers of driving. Fleet management solutions can not only increase productivity and efficiency and decrease fuel usage, but assists fleet managers in working with employees and drivers to ensure everyone's safety on the road

Vehicle Navigation Systems Stay Relevant By Including Integrated DashCams

As reported by Engadget: Dedicated GPS units may be less popular these days, but Magellan has figured out a way to justify their existence: strap a dash camera to the back. The company's upcoming RoadMate 6230T-LM DashCam can both guide you through unfamiliar areas and record video to an SD card, saving you the trouble of mounting two devices in your car. 

Magellan's hybrid design is also handy even if you don't need directions, since you can watch live video from either the built-in camera or an optional wireless backup cam. The new RoadMate won't ship until April, but it will also cost $230 -- a relative bargain next to purpose-built dash cams that offer many of the same features.

iBeacon Location-Sensing Tech Put To Use At Grocery Stores

InMarket debuts its iBeacon platform in dozens of Safeway and
Giant Eagle supermarkets to give shoppers grocery list reminders,
deals, and reward points.

Apple's iBeacon location-sensing technology appears to be having a major breakthrough. Mobile shopping startup InMarket announced Monday that it's beginning to use the platform in more than 150 grocery stores across the US, according to The Associated Press.

This means the 20 million people who use InMarket's apps on its Mobile to Mortar platform will be able to get grocery list reminders, deals, and reward points at supermarkets like Safeway and Giant Eagle. To use the technology, shoppers have to opt in by downloading specific apps, like InMarket's Checkpoints.

Apple debuted iBeacon late last year on devices running iOS 7. The location-sensing technology works by sending off short-range (Bluetooth) transitions that notify mobile devices when they are within 100 feet of a beacon. This type of location-sensing technology can be used for indoor navigation, automatic ticketing, and location-relevant promotions.

iBeacon has already been used at Apple retail stores, is in testing mode with MLB at certain baseball stadiums, and will even be used for a scavenger hunt at this week's Consumer Electronics Show. Starbucks, Macy's, and American Airlines are also said to be testing the technology.

InMarket's iBeacon feature will be in more than 150 stores in Seattle, San Francisco, and Cleveland within the next two weeks; and the company plans to expand to thousands of grocery and retail stores by the end of 2014, according to the AP.

How Google Cracked House Number Identification in Street View

As reported by MIT Technology Review: But the task of spotting and identifying these numbers is hugely time-consuming. Google’s street view cameras have recorded hundreds of millions of panoramic images that together contain tens of millions of house numbers. The task of searching these images manually to spot and identify the numbers is not one anybody could approach with relish.

So, naturally, Google has solved the problem by automating it. And today, Ian Goodfellow and pals at the company reveal how they've done it. Their method turns out to rely on a neural network that contains 11 levels of neurons that they have trained to spot numbers in images.

To start off with, Goodfellow and co place some limits on the task at hand to keep it as simple as possible. For example, they assume that the building number has already been spotted and the image cropped so that the number is at least one-third the width of the resulting frame. They also assume that the number is no more than five digits long, a reasonable assumption in most parts of the world.

But the team does not divide the number into single digits, as many other groups have done. Their approach is to localize the entire number within the cropped image and to identify it in one go—all with a single neural network.

They train this net using images drawn from a publicly available data set of number images known as the Street View House Numbers data set. This contains some 200,000 numbers taken by Google’s Street View cameras and made publicly available. The training takes about six days to complete, they say.

Goodfellow and co say there is no point in using an automated system that cannot match or beat the performance of human operators who can generally spot numbers accurately 98 percent of the time. So this is the team’s goal.

However, that doesn't mean spotting 98 percent of the numbers in 100 percent of the images. Instead, Goodfellow and co say it is acceptable to spot 98 percent of the numbers in a certain subset of images, which in this case turn out to cover around 95 percent of the total.

But even this is significantly better than any other team has been able to achieve. “Worldwide, we automatically detected and transcribed close to 100 million physical street numbers at [human] operator level accuracy,” they say, describing this as an “unprecedented success.”

And they can do it at considerable speed. “We can transcribe all the views we have of street numbers in France in less than an hour using our Google infrastructure,” they say. Yep, that’s just one hour.

One interesting question is whether the same technique might help extract other numbers such as telephone numbers on business signs or even number plates.

However, Goodfellow and co are not optimistic. They say the success of their technique rests heavily on the assumption that street numbers are never more than five digits long. “For large [numbers of digits] our method is unlikely to scale well,” they say.

And of course, the system is not yet perfect. That 2 percent of misidentified numbers is still a thorn in the team’s side.

But in the meantime, Google can rest assured that it has made a significant step forward in character extraction and recognition: the localization and identification of numbers by a single neural network.

The big question of course is what’s next. And Goodfellow and co oblige by opening the kimono just a fraction: “This approach of using a single neural network as an entire end-to-end system could be applicable to other problems such as general text transcription or speech recognition.” 

Three CubeSats Released by the ISS

As provided by NASA: Cubes are orbiting the Earth. 

Measuring ten-centimeters on a side, CubeSats -- each roughly the size of a large coffee mug -- are designed to be inexpensive both to build and to launch. 

Pictured here, three CubeSats were released from the International Space Station (ISS) last November by the arm of the Japanese Kibo Laboratory module.  

CubeSats are frequently created by students as part of university science or engineering projects and include missions such as collecting wide angle imagery of the Earth, testing orbital radio communications, monitoring the Earth's magnetic field, and exploring the Earth's surrounding radiation. 

Depending on the exact height of their release, CubeSats will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on the time scale of months to years.

SpaceX Falcon Rocket Lifts Off With Thaicom Satellite

As reported by Reuters: A Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Monday to put a commercial communications spacecraft into orbit for Thai satellite operator Thaicom.  

The 224-foot (68-meter) tall rocket burst off its seaside launch pad at 5:06 p.m. EST (2206 GMT), soaring through overcast skies as it headed toward the satellite's drop-off point more than 55,000 miles (88,500 km) above Earth or about one-quarter of the way to the moon.  

From that position, the 6,649-pound (3,016 kg) Thaicom 6 satellite is designed to lower itself to about 22,300 miles (35,888 km) above Earth and shift the angle of its orbit so that it can be permanently stationed to beam high-definition and digital television services to customers in Thailand and surrounding areas.  

The satellite, built by Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp , also is equipped to provide other communications services for customers in Southeast Asia and Africa, including Madagascar, Thaicom's website shows.  

Including launch services and insurance, the Thaicom 6 satellite cost about $160 million, according to Thaicom. So far, about two-thirds of the satellite's capacity has been sold, according to Thaicom.

Monday's launch was the second in just over a month for Space Exploration Technologies, also known as SpaceX.

In December, the California-based firm, owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, who also serves as chief executive of Tesla Motors car company, launched its first commercial communications satellite, staking a claim in a global satellite launch industry worth about $6.5 billion a year, a study by the Satellite Industry Association trade group shows.

So far, privately owned SpaceX has sold about 50 commercial launches worth about $40 billion. About 25 percent of the flights are for NASA, which hired SpaceX, along with Orbital Sciences, to fly cargo to the International Space Station, a $100 billion research complex that flies about 250 miles (about 400 km) above Earth.  

SpaceX's next flight, slated for late February, will be the third of 12 station resupply missions under its $1.6 billion NASA contract.

Orbital Sciences, which holds a separate $1.9 billion NASA contract, is preparing to launch the first of its eight station cargo runs on Wednesday. The company's Antares rockets fly from a commercial spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia.

Before Monday's launch, Falcon 9 rockets had flown seven times, all successfully, though on its first cargo flight to the station, in October 2012, one of the rocket's nine first-stage engines shut down prematurely.

Other motors compensated, and the rocket was able to deliver its Dragon cargo ship to the intended orbit without a problem.

SpaceX is working on three parallel programs to expand its business and cut costs, including reusing its first-stage boosters. However, a proposed demonstration to restart the engine so it could cushion the splashdown into the ocean was not attempted on the Thaicom 6 mission, said SpaceX spokeswoman Emily Shanklin.

HEAVY-LIFT FALCON MISSION

In addition, the company is working on a 27-engine, heavy-lift Falcon rocket as well as a version of its Dragon cargo capsule that can carry astronauts and other passengers to the space station.

A Falcon Heavy demonstration mission from SpaceX's second launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is slated for 2014, the company's website shows.

A successful mission on Monday also could clear SpaceX to enter a lucrative competition to launch U.S. military reconnaissance and communications satellites, a service now exclusively provided by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.